Topic overview

astro-ph.IM

2840 works27177 researchers0 institutions

Topic snapshot

What this area looks like now

2840works
27177authors
0experts visible
0communities

Next steps

Move from topic reading into action

The graph preview below keeps the nearby papers, people and communities visible in the same reading flow.

Topic graph

See the topic as a live network

Open full explorer

Inspect nearby papers, researchers, institutions and communities without opening a separate graph page.

Building this graph slice

BZPEER is loading the nearby papers, people, topics and institutions for this page.

Papers in this area

24 featured work(s)

preprint2016arXiv

Infrared dielectric properties of low-stress silicon oxide

Silicon oxide thin films play an important role in the realization of optical coatings and high-performance electrical circuits. Estimates of the dielectric function in the far- and mid-infrared regime are derived from the observed transmittance spectrum for a commonly employed low-stress silicon oxide formulation. The experimental, modeling, and numerical methods used to extract the dielectric function are presented.

preprint2011arXiv

Domenico Pacini, uncredited pioneer of the discovery of cosmic rays

During a series of experiments performed between 1907 and 1911, Domenico Pacini (Marino 1878-Roma 1934), at that time researcher at the Central Bureau of Meteorology and Geodynamics in Roma, studied the origin of the radiation today called "cosmic rays", the nature of which was unknown at that time. In his conclusive measurements in June 1911 at the Naval Academy in Livorno, and confirmed in Bracciano a couple of months later, Pacini, proposing a novel experimental technique, observed the radiation strength to decrease when going from the surface to a few meters underwater (both in the sea and in the lake), thus demonstrating that such radiation could not come from the Earth's crust. Pacini's work was largely overlooked. Hess was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1936, two years after the death of Pacini, who had become a full professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Bari. The discovery of cosmic rays -a milestone in science- involved several scientists in Europe and in the United States of America and took place during a period characterized by nationalism and lack of communication. Historical, political and personal facts, embedded in the pre- and post-World War I context, might have contributed to the substantial disappearance of Pacini from the history of science. This article aims to give an unbiased historical account of the discovery of cosmic rays; in the centenary of Pacini's pioneering experiments, his work, which employed a technique that was complementary to, and independent of that of Hess, will be duly taken into consideration. A translation into English of three fundamental early articles by Pacini is provided in the Appendix.

preprint2010arXiv

Realization and preliminary measurements on a 94 GHz SIS mixer

In this paper we present the realization and a preliminary characterization of a SIS based receiver. It has been developed for the MASTER experiment that consists in a three-band SIS receiver (94, 225 and 345 GHz) for astrophysical observations through the atmospheric windows available at high altitude dry sites. The measurements performed establish an upper limit to the overall receiver noise temperature. A comparison has been tried with the MASTER requirements and with state of the art results. A noise figure of 110 K has been obtained at 94 GHz, about 22 times the quantum limit.

preprint2012arXiv

The Actuator Design and the Experimental Tests of a New Technology Large Deformable Mirror for Visible Wavelengths Adaptive Optics

Recently, Adaptive Secondary Mirrors showed excellent on-sky results in the Near Infrared wavelengths. They currently provide 30mm inter-actuator spacing and about 1 kHz bandwidth. Pushing these devices to be operated at visible wavelengths is a challenging task. Compared to the current systems, working in the infrared, the more demanding requirements are the higher spatial resolution and the greater correction bandwidth. In fact, the turbulence scale is shorter and the parameter variation is faster. Typically, the former is not larger than 25 mm (projected on the secondary mirror) and the latter is 2 kHz, therefore the actuator has to be more slender and faster than the current ones. With a soft magnetic composite core, a dual-stator and a single-mover, VRALA, the actuator discussed in this paper, attains unprecedented performances with a negligible thermal impact. Pre-shaping the current required to deliver a given stroke greatly simplifies the control system, whose output supplies the current generator. As the inductance depends on the mover position, the electronics of this generator, provided with an inductance measure circuit, works also as a displacement sensor, supplying the control system with an accurate feed-back signal. A preliminary prototype, built according to the several FEA thermo-magnetic analyses, has undergone some preliminary laboratory tests. The results of these checks, matching the design results in terms of power and force, show that the the magnetic design addresses the severe specifications.

preprint2010arXiv

Domenico Pacini, the forgotten pioneer of the discovery of cosmic rays

About a century ago, cosmic rays were identified as being a source of radiation on Earth. The proof came from two independent experiments. The Italian physicist Domenico Pacini observed the radiation strength to decrease when going from the ground to a few meters underwater (both in a lake and in a sea). At about the same time, in a balloon flight, the Austrian Victor Hess found the ionization rate to increase with height. The present article attempts to give an unbiased historical account of the discovery of cosmic rays -- and in doing so it will duly account for Pacini's pioneering work, which involved a technique that was complementary to, and independent from, Hess'. Personal stories, and the pre- and post-war historical context, led Pacini's work to slip into oblivion.

preprint2019arXiv

Detailed study of the ELAIS N1 field with the uGMRT - I. Characterizing the 325 MHz foreground for redshifted 21 cm observations

In this first paper of the series, we present initial results of newly upgraded Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) observation of European Large-Area ISO Survey-North 1 (ELAIS-N1) at 325 MHz with 32 MHz bandwidth. Precise measurement of fluctuations in Galactic and extragalactic foreground emission as a function of frequency as well as angular scale is necessary for detecting redshifted 21-cm signal of neutral hydrogen from Cosmic Dawn, Epoch of Reionization (EoR) and post-reionization epoch. Here, for the first time we have statistically quantified the Galactic and extragalactic foreground sources in the ELAIS-N1 field in the form of angular power spectrum using the newly developed Tapered Gridded Estimator (TGE). We have calibrated the data with and without direction-dependent calibration techniques. We have demonstrated the effectiveness of TGE against the direction dependent effects by using higher tapering of field of view (FoV). We have found that diffuse Galactic synchrotron emission (DGSE) dominates the sky, after point source subtraction, across the angular multipole range $ 1115 \leqslant \mathcal{\ell} \leqslant 5083 $ and $ 1565 \leqslant \mathcal{\ell} \leqslant 4754 $ for direction-dependent and -independent calibrated visibilities respectively. The statistical fluctuations in DGSE has been quantified as a power law of the form $\mathcal{C}_{\mathcal{\ell}}= A \mathcal{\ell}^{-β} $. The best fitted values of (A, $β$) are ($ 62 \pm 6$ $mK^{2}$, $2.55 \pm 0.3 $) and ($ 48 \pm 4$ $mK^{2}$, $2.28 \pm 0.4 $ ) for the two different calibration approaches. For both the cases, the power law index is consistent with the previous measurements of DGSE in other parts of sky.

preprint2019arXiv

DeepSphere: Efficient spherical Convolutional Neural Network with HEALPix sampling for cosmological applications

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are a cornerstone of the Deep Learning toolbox and have led to many breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence. These networks have mostly been developed for regular Euclidean domains such as those supporting images, audio, or video. Because of their success, CNN-based methods are becoming increasingly popular in Cosmology. Cosmological data often comes as spherical maps, which make the use of the traditional CNNs more complicated. The commonly used pixelization scheme for spherical maps is the Hierarchical Equal Area isoLatitude Pixelisation (HEALPix). We present a spherical CNN for analysis of full and partial HEALPix maps, which we call DeepSphere. The spherical CNN is constructed by representing the sphere as a graph. Graphs are versatile data structures that can act as a discrete representation of a continuous manifold. Using the graph-based representation, we define many of the standard CNN operations, such as convolution and pooling. With filters restricted to being radial, our convolutions are equivariant to rotation on the sphere, and DeepSphere can be made invariant or equivariant to rotation. This way, DeepSphere is a special case of a graph CNN, tailored to the HEALPix sampling of the sphere. This approach is computationally more efficient than using spherical harmonics to perform convolutions. We demonstrate the method on a classification problem of weak lensing mass maps from two cosmological models and compare the performance of the CNN with that of two baseline classifiers. The results show that the performance of DeepSphere is always superior or equal to both of these baselines. For high noise levels and for data covering only a smaller fraction of the sphere, DeepSphere achieves typically 10% better classification accuracy than those baselines. Finally, we show how learned filters can be visualized to introspect the neural network.

preprint2018arXiv

Information theory for fields

A physical field has an infinite number of degrees of freedom since it has a field value at each location of a continuous space. Therefore, it is impossible to know a field from finite measurements alone and prior information on the field is essential for field inference. An information theory for fields is needed to join the measurement and prior information into probabilistic statements on field configurations. Such an information field theory (IFT) is built upon the language of mathematical physics, in particular on field theory and statistical mechanics. IFT permits the mathematical derivation of optimal imaging algorithms, data analysis methods, and even computer simulation schemes. The application of IFT algorithms to astronomical datasets provides high fidelity images of the Universe and facilitates the search for subtle statistical signals from the Big Bang. The concepts of IFT might even pave the road to novel computer simulations that are aware of their own uncertainties.

preprint2018arXiv

Characterization of Cameras for the COSMO K-Coronagraph

Digital image sensors are ubiquitous in astronomical instrumentation and it is well known that they suffer from issues that must be corrected for data to be scientifically useful. I present discussion on errors resulting from digitization and characterization of nonlinearity and ADC errors of the PhotonFocus MV-D1024E cameras selected for the K-Coronagraph of the Coronal Solar Magnetism Observatory. I derive an analytic expression for quantization errors. The MV-D1024E camera has adequate bit depth for which quantization error is not an issue. I show that this is not the case for all cameras, particularly those with deep wells and low read noise. The impact of nonlinearity and ADC errors on science observations of the K-Coronagraph is analyzed using a simplified telescope model. Errors caused by the camera ADCs result in systematic errors in the measurement of the polarimetric signal of several times $10^{-9}~B_\odot$, which is about an order of magnitude above the desired sensitivity. I demonstrate a method for post-facto data correction using a lookup table and derive parameters from camera characterization measurements that were made with a lab setup. Nonlinearity is traditionally addressed with a global correction. I show through analysis of calibration data that for the MV-D1024E this correction leaves residual systematic errors after dark and gain correction of up to 1% of the signal. I demonstrate that a pixel-wise correction of nonlinearity reduces the errors to below 0.1%. These corrections are necessary for the K-Coronagraph data products to meet the science requirements. They have been implemented in the instrument data acquisition system and data reduction pipeline. While no other instruments besides the K-Coronagraph or cameras besides the MV-D1024E are discussed here, the results are illustrative for all instruments and cameras.

preprint2019arXiv

Identification and correction of Sagnac frequency variations: an implementation for the GINGERINO data analysis

Ring laser gyroscopes are top sensitivity inertial sensors used in the measurement of angular rotation rates. It is well known that the response of such remarkable instruments can in principle access the very low frequency band, but the occurrence of nonlinear effects in the laser dynamics imposes severe limitations in terms of sensitivity and stability. We report here general relationships aimed at evaluating corrections able to effectively account for nonlinear laser dynamics. The so-derived corrections are applied to analyse thirty days of continuous operation of the large area ring laser gyroscope GINGERINO leading to duly reconstruct the Sagnac frequency $ω_S$. The analysis shows that, on the average, the evaluated corrections affect the measurement of the Earth rotation rate $Ω_E$ at the level of 1 part in $1.5\times10^{3}$. Among the identified corrections, the null shift term $ω_{NS}$ is the dominant one. It turns out proportional to the optical losses $μ$ of the ring cavity, which are changing in time at the level of $10\%$ within the considered period of thirty days. The time behaviour is reconstructed based on available signals (interferogram and mono-beam intensities), and the Allan deviation of the estimated $Ω_E$ shows a remarkable long term stability, leading to a sensitivity better than $10^{-10}$rad/s with more than $10$s of integration time, and approaching $(8.5\pm 0.5)\times 10^{-12}$rad/s with $4.5\times10^{5}$s of integration time.

preprint2019arXiv

Elephants, goldfishes and SOUL: a dissertation on forgetfulness and control systems

Adaptive Optics control systems accumulate differential measurements during closed loop operations to estimate turbulence and drive the deformable mirror. But have you ever wondered if your control system should be like an elephant, and never forget, or should it have a weak memory like a goldfish? Are measurement errors always zero mean or does static effects impact performance? Are commands high spatial frequencies good or are you wasting all the inter-actuator stroke for nothing? This work will try to answer these questions showing you results obtained during SOUL commissioning and analysing the impact of the values of the control system poles on Adaptive Optics. So be prepared to focus on forgetfulness and discover the advantages of being a goldfish in a digital world made of elephants.

preprint2019arXiv

The Southern Photometric Local Universe Survey (S-PLUS): improved SEDs, morphologies and redshifts with 12 optical filters

The Southern Photometric Local Universe Survey (S-PLUS) is imaging ~9300 deg^2 of the celestial sphere in twelve optical bands using a dedicated 0.8 m robotic telescope, the T80-South, at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Chile. The telescope is equipped with a 9.2k by 9.2k e2v detector with 10 um pixels, resulting in a field-of-view of 2 deg^2 with a plate scale of 0.55&#34;/pixel. The survey consists of four main subfields, which include two non-contiguous fields at high Galactic latitudes (8000 deg^2 at |b| > 30 deg) and two areas of the Galactic plane and bulge (for an additional 1300 deg^2). S-PLUS uses the Javalambre 12-band magnitude system, which includes the 5 u, g, r, i, z broad-band filters and 7 narrow-band filters centered on prominent stellar spectral features: the Balmer jump/[OII], Ca H+K, H-delta, G-band, Mg b triplet, H-alpha, and the Ca triplet. S-PLUS delivers accurate photometric redshifts (delta_z/(1+z) = 0.02 or better) for galaxies with r < 20 AB mag and redshift < 0.5, thus producing a 3D map of the local Universe over a volume of more than 1 (Gpc/h)^3. The final S-PLUS catalogue will also enable the study of star formation and stellar populations in and around the Milky Way and nearby galaxies, as well as searches for quasars, variable sources, and low-metallicity stars. In this paper we introduce the main characteristics of the survey, illustrated with science verification data highlighting the unique capabilities of S-PLUS. We also present the first public data release of ~336 deg^2 of the Stripe-82 area, which is available at http://datalab.noao.edu/splus.

preprint2020arXiv

High-resolution radio astronomy: an outlook for Africa

Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) offers unrivalled resolution in studies of celestial radio sources. The subjects of interest of the IAU Symposium No. 356, the Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) of all types, constitute the major observing sample of modern VLBI networks. At present, the largest in the world in terms of the number of telescopes and geographical coverage is the European VLBI Network (EVN), which operates under the open sky policy via peer-reviewed observing proposals. Recent EVN observations cover a broad range of science themes from high-sensitivity monitoring of structural changes in inner AGN areas to observations of tidal eruptions in AGN cores and investigation of redshift-dependent properties of parsec-scale radio structures of AGN. All the topics above should be considered as potentially rewarding scientific activities of the prospective African VLBI Network (AVN), a natural scientific ally of EVN. This contribution briefly describes the status and near-term strategy for the AVN development as a southern extension of the EVN-AVN alliance and as an eventual bridge to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) with its mid-frequency core in South Africa.

preprint2020arXiv

Quantum sensor networks as exotic field telescopes for multi-messenger astronomy

Multi-messenger astronomy, the coordinated observation of different classes of signals originating from the same astrophysical event, provides a wealth of information about astrophysical processes with far-reaching implications. So far, the focus of multi-messenger astronomy has been the search for conventional signals from known fundamental forces and standard model particles, like gravitational waves (GW). In addition to these known effects, quantum sensor networks could be used to search for astrophysical signals predicted by beyond-standard-model (BSM) theories. Exotic bosonic fields are ubiquitous features of BSM theories and appear while seeking to understand the nature of dark matter and dark energy and solve the hierarchy and strong CP problems. We consider the case where high-energy astrophysical events could produce intense bursts of exotic low-mass fields (ELFs). We propose to expand the toolbox of multi-messenger astronomy to include networks of precision quantum sensors that by design are shielded from or insensitive to conventional standard-model physics signals. We estimate ELF signal amplitudes, delays, rates, and distances of GW sources to which global networks of atomic magnetometers and atomic clocks could be sensitive. We find that, indeed, such precision quantum sensor networks can function as ELF telescopes to detect signals from sources generating ELF bursts of sufficient intensity. Thus ELFs, if they exist, could act as additional messengers for astrophysical events.

preprint2020arXiv

Applying Information Theory to Design Optimal Filters for Photometric Redshifts

In this paper we apply ideas from information theory to create a method for the design of optimal filters for photometric redshift estimation. We show the method applied to a series of simple example filters in order to motivate an intuition for how photometric redshift estimators respond to the properties of photometric passbands. We then design a realistic set of six filters covering optical wavelengths that optimize photometric redshifts for $z <= 2.3$ and $i < 25.3$. We create a simulated catalog for these optimal filters and use our filters with a photometric redshift estimation code to show that we can improve the standard deviation of the photometric redshift error by 7.1% overall and improve outliers 9.9% over the standard filters proposed for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). We compare features of our optimal filters to LSST and find that the LSST filters incorporate key features for optimal photometric redshift estimation. Finally, we describe how information theory can be applied to a range of optimization problems in astronomy.

preprint2020arXiv

Radiation damage assessment of SensL SiPMs

Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) are quickly replacing traditional photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) as the readout of choice for gamma-ray scintillation detectors in space. While they offer substantial size, weight and power saving, they have shown to be susceptible to radiation damage. SensL SiPMs with different cell sizes were irradiated with 64 MeV protons and 8 MeV electrons. In general, results show larger cell sizes are more susceptible to radiation damage with the largest 50 um SiPMs showing the greatest increase in current as a function of dose. Current increases were observed for doses as low at ~2 rad(Si) for protons and ~20 rad(Si) for electrons. The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory&#39;s (NRL) Strontium Iodide Radiation Instrument (SIRI-1) experienced a 528 uA increase in the bias current of the on-board 2x2 SensL J-series 60035 SiPM over its one-year mission in sun-synchronous orbit. The work here focuses on the increase in bulk current observed with increasing radiation damage and was performed to better quantify this effect as a function of dose for future mission. These include the future NRL mission SIRI-2, the follow on to SIRI-1, Glowbug and the GAGG Radiation Instrument (GARI).

preprint2020arXiv

Track length measurement of $^{19}$F$^+$ ions with the MIMAC Dark Matter directional detector prototype

Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) are one of the most preferred candidate for Dark Matter. WIMPs should interact with the nuclei of detectors. If a robust signal is eventually observed in direct detection experiments, the best signature to confirm its Galactic origin would be the nuclear recoil track direction. The MIMAC collaboration has developed a low pressure gas detector providing both the kinetic energy and three-dimensional track reconstruction of nuclear recoils. In this paper we report the first ever observations of $^{19}$F nuclei tracks in a $5$ cm drift prototype MIMAC detector, in the low kinetic energy range ($6$-$26$ keV), using specially developed ion beam facilities. We have measured the recoil track lengths and found significant differences between our measurements and standard simulations. In order to understand these differences, we have performed a series of complementary experiments and simulations to study the impact of the diffusion and eventual systematics. We show an unexpected dependence of the number of read-out corresponding to the track on the electric field applied to the $512\ \mathrm{μm}$ gap of the Micromegas detector. We have introduced, based on the flash-ADC observable, corrections in order to reconstruct the physical 3D track length of the primary electron clouds proposing the physics behind these corrections. We show that diffusion and space charge effects need to be taken into account to explain the differences between measurements and standard simulations. These measurements and simulations may shed a new light on the high-gain TPC ionization signals in general and particularly at low energy.

preprint2020arXiv

Pulsar Timing Observations with Haoping Radio Telescope

We report pulsar timing observations carried out in L-band with NTSC&#39;s 40-meter Haoping Radio Telescope (HRT), which was constructed in 2014. The observations were carried out using the pulsar machine we developed. Timing observations toward millisecond pulsar J0437-4715 obtains a timing residual (r.m.s) of 397ns in the time span of 284 days. And our observations successfully detected Crab pulsar&#39;s glitch that happened on July 23rd, 2019.

preprint2020arXiv

C18O, 13CO, and 12CO abundances and excitation temperatures in the Orion B molecular cloud: An analysis of the precision achievable when modeling spectral line within the Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium approximation

CO isotopologue transitions are routinely observed in molecular clouds to probe the column density of the gas, the elemental ratios of carbon and oxygen, and to trace the kinematics of the environment. We aim at estimating the abundances, excitation temperatures, velocity field and velocity dispersions of the three main CO isotopologues towards a subset of the Orion B molecular cloud. We use the Cramer Rao Bound (CRB) technique to analyze and estimate the precision of the physical parameters in the framework of local-thermodynamic-equilibrium excitation and radiative transfer with an additive white Gaussian noise. We propose a maximum likelihood estimator to infer the physical conditions from the 1-0 and 2-1 transitions of CO isotopologues. Simulations show that this estimator is unbiased and efficient for a common range of excitation temperatures and column densities (Tex > 6 K, N > 1e14 - 1e15 cm-2). Contrary to the general assumptions, the different CO isotopologues have distinct excitation temperatures, and the line intensity ratios between different isotopologues do not accurately reflect the column density ratios. We find mean fractional abundances that are consistent with previous determinations towards other molecular clouds. However, significant local deviations are inferred, not only in regions exposed to UV radiation field but also in shielded regions. These deviations result from the competition between selective photodissociation, chemical fractionation, and depletion on grain surfaces. We observe that the velocity dispersion of the C18O emission is 10% smaller than that of 13CO. The substantial gain resulting from the simultaneous analysis of two different rotational transitions of the same species is rigorously quantified. The CRB technique is a promising avenue for analyzing the estimation of physical parameters from the fit of spectral lines.

preprint2020arXiv

Calibration Requirements for Epoch of Reionization 21-cm signal observations -- I. Effect of time-correlated gains

The residual gain errors add to the systematics of the radio interferometric observations. In case of the high dynamic range observations, these systematic effects dominates over the thermal noise of the observation. In this work, we investigate the effect of time-correlated residual gain errors in the estimation of the power spectrum of the sky brightness distribution in high dynamic range observations. Particularly, we discuss a methodology to estimate the bias in the power spectrum estimator of the redshifted 21-cm signal from neutral hydrogen in the presence of bright extragalactic compact sources. We find, that for the visibility based power spectrum estimators, particularly those use nearby baseline correlations to avoid noise bias, the bias in the power spectrum arises mainly from the time correlation in the residual gain error. The bias also depends on the baseline distribution for a particular observation. Analytical calculations show that the bias is dominant for certain types of baseline pairs used for the visibility correlation. We perform simulated observation of extragalactic compact sources in the presence of residual gain errors with the GMRT like array and estimate the bias in the power spectrum. Our results indicate that in order to estimate the redshifted 21-cm power spectrum, better calibration techniques and estimator development are required.

preprint2020arXiv

Cosmic Variance of the 21-cm Global Signal

Cosmological measurements of the 21-cm line of neutral hydrogen are poised to dramatically enhance our understanding of the early universe. In particular, both the epochs of reionization and cosmic dawn remain largely uncharted, and the 21-cm signal is one of the few probes to reach them. The simplest 21-cm measurement is the global signal (GS), which corresponds to the averaged absorption or emission of 21-cm photons across the entire sky. While bright radio foregrounds swamp the cosmic signal over the entire frequency range observable, presenting a formidable hurdle, they can in principle be subtracted, given enough sensitivity. Here, however, we point out an additional---and irreducible---source of uncertainty for the 21-cm GS: cosmic variance. The cosmic-variance noise arises from the finite volume of the universe accessible to 21-cm experiments. Due to the cosmological redshifting of 21-cm photons, each observed frequency probes our universe during a particular cosmic age, corresponding to a narrow redshift slice. The presence of large 21-cm fluctuations makes the GS within each slice different than the GS averaged over the entire universe. We estimate the size of this cosmic-variance noise, and find that for a standard scenario it has a size of $\sim 0.1$ mK, which is $\sim 10\%$ of the size of the expected instrumental noise of a year-long experiment. Interestingly, cosmic variance can overtake instrumental noise for scenarios with extreme 21-cm fluctuations, such as those suggested to explain the sharpness of the claimed EDGES detection. Moreover, as large-scale 21-cm fluctuations are coherent over long distances, cosmic variance correlates the measurements of the GS at nearby redshifts, leading to off-diagonal uncertainties that have so far been neglected.

preprint2020arXiv

Fiducial displacements with improved accuracy for the global network of gravitational wave detectors

As sensitivities improve and more detectors are added to the global network of gravitational wave observatories, calibration accuracy and precision are becoming increasingly important. Photon calibrators, relying on power-modulated auxiliary laser beams reflecting from suspended interferometer optics, enable continuous calibration by generating displacement fiducials proportional to the modulated laser power. Developments in the propagation of laser power calibration via transfer standards to on-line power sensors monitoring the modulated laser power have enabled generation of length fiducials with improved accuracy. Estimated uncertainties are almost a factor of two smaller than the lowest values previously reported. This is partly due to improvements in methodology that have increased confidence in the results reported. Referencing the laser power calibration standards for each observatory to a single transfer standard enables reducing relative calibration errors between elements of the detector network. Efforts within the national metrology institute community to realize improved laser power sensor calibration accuracy are ongoing.

preprint2020arXiv

Transformative Science from the Lunar Farside: Observations of the Dark Ages and Exoplanetary Systems at Low Radio Frequencies

The farside of the Moon is a pristine, quiet platform to conduct low radio frequency observations of the early Universe&#39;s Dark Ages, as well as space weather and magnetospheres associated with habitable exoplanets. In this paper, the astrophysics associated with NASA-funded concept studies will be described including a lunar-orbiting spacecraft, DAPPER, that will measure the 21 cm global spectrum at redshifts 40-80, and an array of low frequency dipoles on the lunar farside surface, FARSIDE, that would detect exoplanet magnetic fields. DAPPER observations (17-38 MHz), using a single cross-dipole antenna, will measure the amplitude of the 21 cm spectrum to the level required to distinguish the standard ΛCDM cosmological model from those of additional cooling models possibly produced by exotic physics such as dark matter interactions. FARSIDE has a notional architecture consisting of 128 dipole antennas deployed across a 10 km area by a rover. FARSIDE would image the entire sky each minute in 1400 channels over 0.1-40 MHz. This would enable monitoring of the nearest stellar systems for the radio signatures of coronal mass ejections and energetic particle events, and would also detect the magnetospheres of the nearest candidate habitable exoplanets. In addition, FARSIDE would determine the Dark Ages global 21 cm signal at yet lower frequencies and provide a pathfinder for power spectrum measurements.

People in this topic

12 visible researcher(s)